During Atlético de Madrid’s return to training on Thursday, midfielder Johnny Cardoso sustained a heavy challenge during a rondo and left the pitch before the session ended.
Tests indicated that Johnny has picked up a high ankle sprain, his fifth injury this season, and he will miss the final four games of the season, all in LaLiga following Atlético’s midweek elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the semifinal stage.
Johnny’s participation at the upcoming FIFA World Cup also is in some doubt. The 24-year-old recently had worked his way back into United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, but his inability to avoid injury has dampened his prospects of a call-up ahead of the USMNT’s opening group game in Los Angeles against Paraguay on June 12.
What Johnny’s ankle injury means for Johnny
For one, it means Johnny’s debut season in Madrid ends with a mere 30 appearances across all competitions — including just 15 in LaLiga.
A key summer acquisition from Real Betis after he helped the Verdiblancos reach last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League final, Johnny arrived at Atlético nursing an ankle injury that he had picked up during the Gold Cup. As it turned out, the stubborn, slow-to-heal injury presaged a year of fitness woes for Johnny — who had missed 21 games combined in the three previous seasons before this one.
As the calendar flipped t0 2026, Johnny finally got the run of starts that many envisioned he would grab from Koke when the long season began. He started seven times from eight games between Feb. 21 and March 22; he scored his first goal for the club in the Champions League playoff tie against Club Brugge and really appeared to be settling in as the ball-winning defensive midfielder that Diego Simeone had not had in years.
Unfortunately, Pochettino irresponsibly played Johnny for 45 minutes in a friendly against Belgium during the March international break, and he suffered another muscular injury that cost him another three games at club level. Johnny started only twice more before he sustained the season-ending high ankle sprain on Thursday.
There is no doubt that Johnny has endured a disappointing first season at Atleti, with bad injury luck seriously disrupting his campaign. But assuming he stays — and I don’t really see a convincing reason why he would not — it’s easy to imagine him entering 2026/27 with high motivation to claim his place as a starter. Johnny showed some growth as a passer when fit in 2026, and we already know how impactful he is positionally, particularly in blocking shots or passes and intercepting the ball.
What Johnny’s injury means for Atlético’s summer transfer window
Atlético signed Johnny from Betis in a complex transfer that featured numerous clauses and deferrals while paving the way for Rodrigo Riquelme to join Manuel Pellegrini’s side in part-exchange (though not presented as such for accounting purposes).
Is it possible that no one is happy with how those deals panned out?
In planning the squad for next season, sporting director Mateu Alemany must make a dispassionate analysis of his midfield options. Koke turns 35 next January and likely will play his final season at the club in 2026/27; Rodri Mendoza and Obed Vargas have gained valuable experience as starters in LaLiga, and you have to think at least one of them will remain in the squad next year.
But Johnny and Pablo Barrios, two players best-positioned to replace the longtime skipper, are too injury-prone to rely upon until they can demonstrate otherwise. Another season in which they combine to play 38 league games will be absolutely intolerable.
I think Atlético are prepared to spend big on a left-back this summer, but little else is apparent about Alemany’s plans — including the possible outlay for an attacking midfielder to replace Antoine Griezmann. Johnny deserves another season to prove himself, and betting on internal improvement from Vargas, Mendoza or both is great. Snagging someone from the Éderson/Morten Hjulmand tier — or higher, depending on Squad Cost Limits — is a necessity though, seeing as Barrios and Johnny can’t seem to stay fit at the same time. Johnny’s latest injury merely enhances that perception.
